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Centre of South Asian Studies

No 68 January 2008

www.soas.ac.uk/csas/

ASosiaNewsletter

Forthcoming events at SOAS this term:

Centre of South Asian Studies Annual Lecture.Further details on 0

Why India? Why Now? ConferenceFurther details on Page 14

‘Jaina Art & Architecture’ Workshop and Annual Lecture Further details on Page 12 Tasher Desh: Dance Drama by Tagore

Further details on Page 9

Jaina Art &Architecture

New Approach to the Study ofJaina Art & Architecture

the 8th annual Jain lecture by M.N.P. Tiwari18.00, Thursday, 6 March 2008

and all day workshop09.00-19.00, Friday, 7 March 2008

All Welcome

Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre, SOASProgramme: http://www.soas.ac.uk/jainastudies

Enquiries: [email protected]

The speakers

International conference for the UK creative industriesMonday 28th January 2008 SOAS, Russell Square, WC1H 0XG

www.whyindiawhynow.com

creativeconnexions

Rodney Fitch CBE, Fitch – Conference ChairFounder of internationally acclaimed design agency, Fitch, a former member of the Design Council, and a past president of the Designers and Art Directors Association and the Chartered Society of Designers.

Laura Hoke, Creative Connexions. Delivering the conference welcome address.

Alpesh Patel, UK Trade and Industry Dealmakers between India and UK. One of the UK’s most well known fi nancial commentators and authors with nine best selling books on trading.

Graham Cartledge, Benoy. A fellow of the Chartered Society of Designers for more than 35 years, with a distinguished career in architecture and design.

Sharon Bamford, CEO of UK-India Business Council.Lead organisation supporting UK India commerce.

Parminder Vir OBE, Film Producer. ConferenceContent Organiser. A member of BAFTA, appointed to the UK Film Council in 1999.

Mehmood Khan, Indian Institute of Management. Working at Unilever since 1982 across divisions such as Marketing, Exports, Procurement, Business Development and Innovation.

Janice Hughes, Spectrum Value Partners. A respected and experienced economist in the fi eld of fi xed and mobile telecommunications.

Parvinder Bhatia, VTR plc / Prime Focus Group.Associated with industry bodies in India including FICCI and CII.

Peter Day, BBC Radio 4. Afternoon Panel Chair.One of the most renowned business reporters in the United Kingdom, at the forefront of the business news for more than 30 years.

The Why India? Why Now? conference proudly boasts an exceptional line-up of world renowned business and creative industries names.

Freepost Plus RRRL-ALHT-ATGX

Why India? Why Now?

Room 119

London Artscom Limited

65 Davies Street

London

W1K 5DA

Politics

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by Partha S. GhoshProfessor of South Asian Politics School of International Studies Jawaharlal Nehru UniversityNew Delhi

AnnualLecture

7-8pm on Tuesday, 11 March 2008in the Khalili Lecture Theatre, SOAS

All WelcomeEnquiries: [email protected]

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2 South Asia Newsletter: No 68 January 2008 �2 South Asia Newsletter: No 68 January 2008 �

Dr Stephen P HUGHES BA(BATES COLL., LEWISTON) MA PHD(CHICAGO)

Lecturer in Social AnthropologyDepartment of Anthropology and Sociology [email protected]

Professor Michael J HUTT BA PHD(LONDON)

Professor of Nepali and Himalayan StudiesDean of Faculty of Languages and CulturesDepartment of the Languages and Cultures of South [email protected]

Professor Mushtaq KHAN BA(OXON) MPHIL PHD(CANTAB)

Professor of EconomicsDepartment of Economics [email protected]

Mr Abul Hussain KHONDOKER Lector in BengaliDepartment of the Languages and Cultures of South Asia

Dr Martin W LAU MA PHD(LONDON)

Reader in LawSchool of Law [email protected]

Dr Jens LERCHE MA PHD(COPENHAGEN)

Senior Lecturer in Development StudiesDepartment of Development Studies [email protected]

Dr Angelika MALINAR MA PHD(TÜßINGEN)

Senior Lecturer in HinduismDepartment of the Study of Religions [email protected]

Dr Magnus MARSDEN BA PHD(CANTAB)

Lecturer in Social Anthropology with reference to South and Central AsiaDepartment of Anthropology and Sociology [email protected]

Mr Nicholas MARTLAND Librarian for South Asia, South East Asia & Pacific StudiesLibrary and Information Service [email protected]

Dr Matthew MCCARTNEY BA(CANTAB) MPHIL(OXON)

Lecturer in Economics with reference to South AsiaDepartment of Economics [email protected]

Professor Werner F MENSKI MA(KIEL) PHD(LONDON)

Professor of South Asian LawsSchool of Law [email protected]

Mr Satoshi MIYAMURA BA(TOKYO) MA(HITOTSUBASHI) MSC(LONDON)

Teaching Fellow in EconomicsDepartment of Economics [email protected]

Professor David MOSSE BA DPHIL(OXON)

Professor of Social AnthropologyDepartment of Anthropology and Sociology [email protected]

Mr Rakesh NAUTIYAL BA MA(GARHWAL) LLB

Lector in HindiDepartment of the Languages and Cultures of South [email protected]

Professor Ravi AHUJA PHD(HEIDELBERG)

Professor of Modern South Asian HistoryDepartment of History [email protected]

Dr Daud ALI BA(WILLIAM & MARY) MA PHD(CHICAGO)

Senior Lecturer in Early Indian HistoryDepartment of History [email protected]

Dr Rochana BAJPAI BA(BARODA) MA(JAWAHARLAL NEHRU UNIV) PHD(OXON)

Lecturer in the Politics of Asia/AfricaDepartment of Politics and International [email protected]

Dr Crispin BRANFOOT BA(MANCHESTER) MA PHD(LONDON)

Lecturer in South Asian Art and ArchaeologyDepartment of Art and Archaeology [email protected]

Dr Whitney COX BA(VIRGINIA) MA PHD(CHICAGO)

Lecturer in SanskritDepartment of the Languages and Cultures of South [email protected]

Dr Kate CROSBY BA DPHIL(OXON)

Senior Lecturer in Buddhist StudiesDepartment of the Study of Religions [email protected]

Dr Philippe CULLET LLM(LONDON) MA(LONDON) JSD(STANDFORD)

Reader in International Environmental LawSchool of Law [email protected]

Dr Jeevan S DEOL BA(BRITISH COLUMBIA) MPHI (LONDON) PHD(CANTAB)

Lecturer in Urdu and South Asian StudiesDepartment of the Languages and Cultures of South [email protected]

Dr Sonali DERANIYAGALA BA(CANTAB) MA(LONDON) DPHIL(OXON)

Lecturer in EconomicsDepartment of Economics [email protected]

Professor Rachel DWYER BA(LONDON) MPHIL)OXON) PHD(LONDON)

Professor of Indian Cultures and CinemaDepartment of the Languages and Cultures of South [email protected]

Mr Alexander FISCHER BA(LSE) MA(HEIDELBERG)

Lecturer in LawSchool of Law [email protected]

Dr Peter FLÜGEL MA DPHIL (MAINZ)

Teaching FellowChair, Centre for Jaina StudiesDepartment of the Study of Religions [email protected]

Dr Jonathan GOODHAND BA PGCE(BIRMINGHAM) MSC PHD(MANCHESTER)

Senior Lecturer in Development PracticeDepartment of Development Studies [email protected]

Dr Almut HINTZE BA(HEIDELBERG) MPHIL(OXON) DPHIL(ERLANGEN)

DHABIL(BERLIN)

Zartoshty Brothers Senior Lecturer in ZoroastrianismDepartment of the Study of Religions [email protected]

CENTRE MEMBERSSc

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Dr Matthew J NELSON BA(BOWDOIN) PHD(COLUMBIA)

Lecturer in the Politics of Asia/AfricaDepartment of Politics and International Studies [email protected]

Dr Francesca ORSINI BA (VENICE) PHD(SOAS)

Lecturer in the Literatures of North IndiaDepartment of the Languages and Cultures of South Asia [email protected]

Dr Caroline OSELLA BA PHD(LONDON)

Reader in Anthropology with reference to South AsiaDepartment of Anthropology and Sociology [email protected]

Dr Ulrich PAGEL BA PHD(LONDON)

Senior Lecturer in Language and Religion in Tibet and Middle AsiaDepartment of the Study of Religions [email protected]

Dr Avril A POWELL MA(CANTAB) PGCE PHD(LONDON)

Reader in the History of Islam in South AsiaDepartment of History [email protected]

Mr Krishna PRADHAN BA MA(TRIBHUVAN)

Lector in NepaliDepartment of the Languages and Cultures of South [email protected]

Dr Theodore PROFERES BA(NEW YORK) MA PHD(HARVARD)

Lecturer in Ancient Indian ReligionsAssociate Dean, Learning & TeachingDepartment of the Study of Religions [email protected]

Dr William RADICE MA DPHIL(OXON)

Senior Lecturer in BengaliDepartment of the Languages and Cultures of South [email protected]

Dr Parvathi RAMAN BA PHD(LONDON)

Lecturer in Social AnthropologyChair, Centre for Migration and Diaspora StudiesDepartment of Anthropology and Sociology [email protected]

Professor Peter G ROBB BA(WELLINGTON) PHD(LONDON) FRHISTS

Professor of the History of IndiaPro-DirectorDepartment of History [email protected]

Dr Martyn ROGERS BA DPHIL (SUSSEX)

Research FellowDepartment of Anthropology and Sociology [email protected]

Dr Lucy ROSENSTEIN BA MA PHD(LONDON)

Senior Lecturer in HindiDepartment of the Languages and Cultures of South [email protected]

Dr Lawrence SAEZ BA(CALIFORNIA) MALD(FLETCHER) MA PHD(CHICAGO)

Senior Lecturer in Comparative and International PoliticsDepartment of Politics and International Studies [email protected]

Dr Pasquale SCARAMOZZINO LAUREA(ROME) MSC PHD(LONDON)

Reader in EconomicsDepartment of Financial and Management Studies [email protected]

Professor Christopher SHACKLE BA DIPSOC ANTHROP BLITT(OXON)

PHD(LONDON) FBA

Research Professor of the Modern Languages of South AsiaDepartment of the Study of Religions [email protected]

Dr Edward SIMPSON BSOC.SCI(MANCHESTER) PHD(LONDON)

Lecturer in Social AnthropologyDepartment of Anthropology and Sociology [email protected]

Dr Subir SINHA BA(DELHI) MA PHD(NORTHWESTERN)

Lecturer in Institutions and DevelopmentDepartment of Development Studies [email protected]

Dr Tadeusz SKORUPSKI LTH(VATICAN) PHD(LONDON)

Reader in Buddhist StudiesDirector, Centre of Buddhist StudiesDepartment of the Study of Religions [email protected]

Dr Renata SÖHNEN-THIEME DRPHIL(MAINZ)

Senior Lecturer in SanskritDepartment of the Languages and Cultures of South [email protected]

Dr Shabnum TEJANI BA(OBERLIN COLL) MA MPHIL PHD(COLUMBIA)

Lecturer in the History of Modern South AsiaDepartment of History [email protected]

Dr Hanne-Ruth THOMPSON Lector in BengaliDepartment of the Languages and Cultures of South [email protected]

Professor Tom TOMLINSON MA PHD(CANTAB)

Research Professor of Economic HistoryDepartment of History [email protected]

Dr Simona VITTORINILecturer in State and DevelopmentDepartment of Politics and International Studies [email protected]

Professor D Richard WIDDESS MUSB MA PHD(CANTAB) MA(LONDON)

Professor of MusicologyDepartment of Music [email protected]

Dr Amina YAQIN BA(PUNJAB) BA(SUSSEX) PHD(LONDON)

Lecturer in Urdu and Postcolonial StudiesDepartment of the Languages and Cultures of South [email protected]

Dr Zawwar Husain ZAIDA MA LLB(ALIGARH) PHD(LONDON)

Senior Research FellowDepartment of History

Dr Cosimo ZENE BA MA PHD(LONDON)

Senior Lecturer in Theory and Methods in the Study of ReligionsDepartment of the Study of Religions [email protected]

School of Oriental and African Studies


STAFF NEWSSc

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Caroline Osella has been selected to attend an SSRC Inter-Asia conference on “Asian Connections” to be held in Dubai, UAE on February 21-2�, 2008. She will present a paper in the panel, “Transnational Circuits: ‘Muslim Women’ in Asia”. Website - http://www.ssrc.org/program_areas/global/papers/

Filippo and Caroline Osella, guest editors, Special issue of Modern Asian Studies on ‘Islamic Reformism in South Asia’, Dec 2007.

Dr Caroline Osella is Reader in Anthropology with reference to South Asia, SOAS

New Staff Member

Dr Simona Vittorini BA(Bologna) MA(London) PhD(London) Convenor of States People and Power of Asia and Africa, Lecturer State and DevelopmentDepartment of Politics and International Studies

Dr Simona Vittorini has been a teacher and lecturer at SOAS for four year. She has taught on three different courses concerning state and politics in Asia and Africa. She also lectures at Birkbeck College and the University of Milan. Her research is focused on South Asian politics with special reference to political communication in contemporary India. She has three published articles, the most recent being a chapter in an edited collection entitled Travels and Collections as Metaphors of Colonial Domination in India. She is currently preparing her PhD thesis, Representing the Nation; Competing National Symbolic Repertoires in India, for publi-cation. Recently she has worked as a consultant for UK Trade & Investment, Zurich Insurance, CMS Cameron McKenna and the current Swedish Ambassador to India.

Charles Wallace 3 Month VisitingFellowships at SOAS

Charles Wallace India Fellowship at SOAS

Dr Ajay Gudavarthy was selected as this year’s Charles Wallace Indian Fellow at the Centre of South Asian Studies, SOAS. Dr Gudavarthy will spend � months at SOAS at the beginning of Term � during 2008.

Dr Ajay Gudavarthy, Assistant Professor, Centre for Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India. Earlier was faculty at the National Law School of India University, Bangalore. Areas of interest include theory of social movements and civil society. Recent publications include, `Antinomies of Political Society: Implications of Uncivil Development` (co-author- G.Vijay, July 2007, EPW); Dalit and Naxalite Movements in Andhra Pradesh: Solidarity or Hegemony? (December 200�, EPW). Currently working on- Human Rights Movement(s) in India: State, Civil Society and Democracy` which is part of a larger on-going work on a book titled, Beyond Civil Society: Rethinking Radical Politics in India.

Charles Wallace Pakistan Fellowship at SOAS

The decision has not yet been announced. Further details will be posted on the CSAS website in due course.

Dr Lawrence Saez was elected as the new Secretary of the British Association for South Asian Studies (BASAS), one of the world’s leading learned societies devoted to the study of South Asia.

In his elected capacity, Dr Saez shall exercise a general control over the Society’s affairs and employees.

During his tenure in office, Dr Saez intends to dramatically enhance the Association’s existing relationship with the British Academy and other scholarly institutions. Given the multidisciplinary nature of BASAS activities, Dr Saez is convinced that many South Asianists in the SOAS community will be able to benefit directly from the increased level of activity by the Association.

Accordingly, Dr Saez encourages members of the SOAS community to join BASAS.

Further details about BASAS can be found at http://www.britac.ac.uk/insti-tutes/SSAS/about.htm

Dr Lawrence Saez is Senior Lecturer in Comparative and International Politics, SOAS


Bookshelf


“This is a moving story, depicting in wonderfully rich detail the round of village life: the daily farm work and chores, the gossip chain, the weekly market, the limited opportunities, the rapacious rich preying on the poor, and women’s particular vulnerabilities. Reading this story could contribute to understanding why poor villagers would join the Maoist cause.”—Ann Hunkins, poet and translater

“Michael J. Hutt’s contribution as a translator and critic of Nepali literature has been invaluable. With Mountains Painted with Turmeric, he brings to light an iconic Nepali novel: the story of sheltered villagers faced with a harsh, changing world. Hutt’s rendition is sensitive and skilled. Through this translation he shares with us his deep empathy for and fine understanding of Nepali reality.”—Manjushree Thapa, author of Tilled Earth and Forget Kathmandu: An Elegy for Democracy

“Lil Bahadur Chettri’s novel is a moving example of social realism, and Michael J. Hutt’s elegant translation lends a timeless, fable-like tone with a gorgeous rendering of the natural scenery.”—Publishers Weekly

“A moving novel of social realism.”—Kirkus Reviews

“A simple yet thought-provoking tale... A subtle, eye-opening look at Third World mores, and the winnowing of society’s weakest links.” —Booklist

Mountains Painted with TurmericLil Bahadur ChettriTranslated and with an Introduction by Michael J. HuttColumbia University PressISBN: 978-0-231-14356-1

Since its publication in the late 19�0s, Mountains Painted with Turmeric has struck a chord in the hearts of hundreds of thousands of Nepali readers. Set in the hills of far eastern Nepal, the novel offers readers a window into the lives of the people by depicting in subtle detail the stark realities of village life.

Carefully translated from the original text, Moun-tains Painted with Turmeric tells the story of a peasant farmer named Dhané (which means, ironically, “wealthy one”) who is struggling to provide for his wife and son and arrange the marriage of his beautiful younger sister. Unable to keep up with the financial demands of the “big men” who control his village, Dhané and his family suffer one calamity after another, and a series of quarrels with fellow villagers forces them into exile.

In haunting prose, Lil Bahadur Chettri portrays the dukha, or suffering and sorrow, endured by ordinary peasants; the exploitation of the poor by the rich and powerful; and the social conservatism that twists a community into punishing a woman for being the victim of a crime. Chettri describes the impoverishment, dispossession, and banishment of Dhané’s family to expose profound divisions between those who prosper and those who are slowly stripped of their meager possessions. Yet he also conveys the warmth and intimacy of village society, from which Dhané and his family are ultimately excluded.

About the Authors

Lil Bahadur Chettri is an Indian Nepali who lives in the state of Assam in northeast India. He is the author of two additional novels, The Unfulfilled and On the Banks of the Brahmaputra.

Michael J. Hutt is professor of Nepali and Himalayan Studies in the Department of the Languages and Cultures of South Asia at the School of African and Oriental Studies in London. He is the author of Modern Literary Nepali: An Introductory Reader and Unbecoming Citizens: Culture, Nationhood, and the Flight of Refugees from Bhutan.

6 South Asia Newsletter: No 68 January 2008 76 South Asia Newsletter: No 68 January 2008 7

EVENTSSc

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South Asian History Seminar Series

Department of HistoryFaculty of Arts & Humanities

School of Oriental & African Studies

SOUTH ASIA HISTORY SEMINAR

Winter Term, 2007/8Tuesdays, 17:00

Room G52

8 January Aparna Kapadia (SOAS, University of London) Rajputs, intermediaries and territoriality in middle-period Gujarat

15 January Aditya Sarkar (SOAS, University of London) Working-class unrest in the plague years: Bombay, 1896-98

22 January Fiona Groenhout (University of Western Australia) Better mad than bad? Colonial knowledge, indirect rule and the politics of princely ‘character’, 1880-1940

29 January Saqib Baburi (SOAS, University of London) Hidden treasure: Emperor Shah Jahan’s lost Padshah namah

5 February Ayan Shome (SOAS, University of London) Balban: His career and notions of authority in the Delhi Sultanate

19 February Claude Markovits (École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, Paris) Beyond imperial connections: Indian circulations outside the British Empire

26 February Raf Gelders (Ghent University) From ascetics to crafty priests: The genealogy of colonial discourse

4 March Tanika Sarkar (Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi) Performing power and troubling plays: public theatre in colonial Bengal

11 March Polly O’Hanlon (Oxford University) Intellectuals and intermediaries in the seventeenth-century Maratha state

Convenors: Professor Ravi Ahuja and Dr Shabnum Tejani

Updates will be posted on the SOAS website at: http://www.soas.ac.uk/academics/departments/history/events


The soon-to-be opened South Asian Law Centre in the School of Law at SOAS announces a series of South Asian Law Seminars at SOAS in the Spring Term 2008. Further seminars/lectures are planned for the summer term.

Tuesdays at 6pm unless otherwise statedRoom 116, Main Building, SOAS

08 January Note: 7 pm start this day only Dr. Usha Ramanathan, Delhi/SOAS Eminent domain and mass displacement

15 January Dr. Perveez Mody, Cambridge University Registering distress: Love-marriage in Delhi

22 January Mekhala Krishnamurthy, UCL, London Between ‘community’ and ‘state’. An ethnographic glimpse of Nari Adalats (Women’s Courts) in Gujarat

29 January Dr. Roshan de Silva Wijeyeratne, Griffith University, Brisbane Rethinking Sri Lanka’s constitutional present: Buddhism, the Ashokan persona and the galactic polity.

05 February Prof. Nazrul Islam, Dhaka University South Asian laws on right to information

19 February Dr. Hiroko Ito, Tokyo South Asian laws in Japan

26 February Biswajit Chanda, SOAS School of Law Harmonisation of family laws in Bangladesh

04 March Dr. Shirley Firth, Senior Research Associate, CEMS, SOAS South Asians and death rituals in the UK

Free and open to the publicEnquiries: [email protected]


South Asian Law Seminar Series


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THE CENTRE OF BUDDHIST STUDIES

Term Two: January-March 2008Friday, �.�0-�pm

Room G2, Main Building, SOAS(Free and open to the public)

11 JanuaryMartin Boord

Mi-kha the Gossip Girl Exorcism of a Folk Demoness in Tibetan Rural Communities

18 JanuaryTadeusz Skorupski

Men, Women, Sexuality, and Enlightenment

25 JanuaryKarel Werner

The Liberated Person in BuddhismExamination of the Concepts of Arhat, Bodhisattva and Buddha

1 FebruarySam van Schaik

A Buddhist Pilgrim’s Progress: On the Tibetan Passport of a 10th-Century Chinese Pilgrim Travelling to India

8 FebruaryCatherine Newell

Wat Dhammakaya and the Politics of Meditation in Thailand

22 FebruaryPaul Buxton

Unearthed! New Perspectives on Old Treasures: Visionary Buddhism in Tibet

29 FebruaryUranchimeg Borjigin

Buddhism and Mongolian Popular Beliefs

The Buddhist Forum Seminars

EnquiriesTadeusz Skorupski020 7898 477�[email protected]


Forthcoming Inaugurel Lectures at SOAS(by Centre Members)

SOAS Concert Series 2007/08

Tasher Desh: Dance Drama by TagoreTasher Desh

26 April 20087:00-9.00 PMVenue: Brunei Gallery Room: Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre

A new production of Tagore’s most significant dance drama, Tasher Desh (Land of Cards), inspired by Alice in Wonderland. The Bengali poet and writer Tagore is considered the voice of India’s spiritual heritage. Tasher Desh, written in 19�� in the context of colonial India, is a satire on the rigidity of class systems, both Indian and British, employing the dramatic and comedic device of a Land of Cards where a population is trapped in stagnation and inflexibility. Tasher Desh

What’s the Use of Anthropology to International Development?Professor David Mosse, Professor of Anthropology, SOASChair: Professor John Harris, University of VancouverDirector will preside.

5.30pm on 18 January 2008 in Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre

All Welcome, No booking requiredEnquires: [email protected]

Bollywood’s India: Hindi Cinema as a Guide to Modern IndiaProfessor Rachel Dwyer, Professor of Indian Culture and Cinema, SOASChair: Professor Christopher Pinney, University College LondonDirector will preside.

5.30pm on 5 February 2008 in Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre

All Welcome, No booking requiredEnquires: [email protected]


FREE ADMISSION TO ALL CONCERTS, NO BOOKING REQUIREDVenue capacity is limited and we operate a first come first served system. We advise you to arrive early to avoid disappointment.

VENUE: BRUNEI GALLERY LECTURE THEATRE, SOAS, University of LondonENQUIRIES: TEL 020 7898 4�00, EMAIL [email protected] / www.soas.ac.uk/concerts


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The Centre of South Asian Studies Annual Lecture

About the Speaker

Partha S. Ghosh (b. 1947) is Professor of South Asian Studies at the School of International Studies, JNU. He was formerly a Visiting Professor at the O. K. D. Institute of Social Change and Development, Guwahati, and a Research Director at the Indian Council of Social Science Research, New Delhi. His areas of interest include South Asian politics, foreign policy-domestic politics interface, and ethnicity.

Ghosh has authored several books which are: India’s North-East and Beyond: Cross-National Perspectives (New Delhi: Inter-India Publications, 2008, edited, forthcoming), The Politics of Personal Law in South Asia: Identity, Nationalism and the Uniform Civil Code (New Delhi and London: Routledge, 2007), Unwanted and Uprooted: A Political Study of Refugees, Migrants, Stateless and Displaced in South Asia (New Delhi: Samskriti, 2004), Ethnicity versus Nationalism: The Devolution Discourse in Sri Lanka (New Delhi: Sage, 200�), BJP and the Evolution of Hindu Nationalism (New Delhi: Manohar, 1999, 2000), Pluralism and Equality: Values in Indian Society and Politics (New Delhi: Sage, 2000, co-edited), Rivalry and Revolution in South and East Asia (London: Ashgate, 1997, edited), Cooperation and Conflict in South Asia (New Delhi: Manohar, 1989, 199�) and Sino-Soviet Relations: US Perceptions and Policy Responses: 1849-19�9 (New Delhi: Uppal, 1981). He has also contributed chapters to many edited volumes. Besides, he has a long list of publications in professional journals of international repute as well as magazines and newspapers.

Ghosh is well traveled both within India and abroad, including all the countries of South Asia. He spent two years in Germany as a Humboldt Fellow (198�-86, 199�) and one year in the United States as a Ford Scholar (1992-9�). Between 1989 and 1994, he was several times invited to Sri Lanka to serve as a member of the Sri Lanka government sponsored international teams that monitored the local, parliamentary and presidential elections. Ghosh is the recipient of many national and international awards, prizes and scholarships.

In 1990-91 he served as a member of the Indian Censor Board for Film Certification, Delhi Chapter, which was meant to certify the documentary films.

Ghosh can be contacted at: Prof. Dr. Partha S. Ghosh, B-10/7��4 Vasant Kunj, New Delhi – 110 070 Tel: 91-11-2689906�Mobile: 9811674�17E-mail: [email protected]

About the Lecture

Politics of Personal Laws in South Asia

ByPartha S. Ghosh

The viability of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) has always been a bone of contention in socially and politically plural South Asia. It is entangled within the polemics of identity politics, minority rights, women’s rights, national integration, uniform citizenry, and, of late, global Islamic politics and universal human rights. While champions of each category view the issue from their own perspectives, making the debate extremely complex, this lecture tries to provide a holistic political analysis of the issues involved.

At the core of the discourse between the pro- and anti-UCC groups is whether there should be a centralised view of the legal system in a given society, or, rather, a decentralised one which includes in its purview the personal laws of religious groups and the customary laws of local castes and tribes.

As almost all South Asian states today subscribe to a decentralised view, as also (most of them) share a common history, this lecture would present a comparative analysis of the applicability of the UCC. India would figure most prominently, being the most plural and vibrant democracy, as well as accounting for almost three-fourths of the region’s population. This would give the backdrop for an analysis of the other states in the region.

The CSAS Annual Lecture is taking place at7-8pm on Tuesday, 11 March 2008 in the Khalili Lecture Theatre, Main Building, SOASAll Welcome (free and open to the public)Enquiries: [email protected]


Politics

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by Partha S. GhoshProfessor of South Asian Politics School of International Studies Jawaharlal Nehru UniversityNew Delhi

AnnualLecture

7-8pm on Tuesday, 11 March 2008in the Khalili Lecture Theatre, SOAS

All WelcomeEnquiries: [email protected]

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12 South Asia Newsletter: No 68 January 2008 1�12 South Asia Newsletter: No 68 January 2008 1�

Jaina Art &Architecture

New Approach to the Study ofJaina Art & Architecture

the 8th annual Jain lecture by M.N.P. Tiwari18.00, Thursday, 6 March 2008

and all day workshop09.00-19.00, Friday, 7 March 2008

All Welcome

Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre, SOASProgramme: http://www.soas.ac.uk/jainastudies

Enquiries: [email protected]

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Workshop Programme, Friday, 7 March (9am-7pm)in the Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre, SOAS

Speaker Title of PaperProf Avadhanula Vijaya Kumar Babu (Osmania University Hyderabad)Osmania University Hyderabad) Hyderabad)

Jaina Stūpa at Vaddamanu, Andrah Pradesh: A Study

Prof Nalini Balbir (Univiversity of Paris III)

Jain Yantras: Texts and Representations

Dr Robert del Bonta(San Francisco)

From Narrative to Icon: The Bāhubali Image at Śravana Belgola

Prof Christine Chojnacki (University of Lyon)

Eulogy and Ritual in Jaina Medieval Literature

Dr Max Deeg (Cardiff University)

Indian Influence on Mani Reconsidered: The Case of Jainism

Prof Christoph Emmrich(Toronto)

The Man Who Fell from the Gopuram Conflict, Consecration and Reconstruction among the Jains of Kanchi

Dr Peter Flügel(SOAS)

Jain Sacred Places: Sammeta Śikhara

Dr Janice Leoshko(University of Texas, Austin)

Title TBC

Uma Maheshwari(JNU, New Delhi)

The Tamil Jainas and the Cakkili Raja Story: Constructing Identities

Dipl Ing Gerd Mevissen(FU-Berlin)

North Bengal (Ancient Varendra): An Innovative Sub-Centre of Jaina Sculptural Art

Dr Lisa Nadine Owen(University of North Texas)

Demarcating Sacred Space: The Jina Images at Kalugumalai

Prof Olle Qvarnström(Lund University) & Dr Niels Hammer (Kopenhaven)

The Jain Cave Paintings at Ellora

John Henry Rice(University of Pennsylvania)

Orienting Jaina Polity: Temple Building in Vijayanagara-Period Kanara

Dr Prakash Shah(SOAS)

Jain Temple Art and Ritual in the Diaspora: The Derasar at Potters Bar

Prof Alvappillai Veluppillai (Tempe)

South Indian Jainism: The Role of Religious Polemics in Tamil

Organisers Dr Peter Flügel (SOAS) Prof Olle Qvarnström (Lund University)

Main SponsorsSOAS Centre of Jaina Studies

Swedish Research Council: Division of Indic Religions, Department of History and Anthropology of Religion, Centre for Theology and Religious Studies, Lund University

Victoria & Albert Museum, London

Enquiries

Dr Peter FlügelChair, Centre of Jaina StudiesDepartment of the Study of ReligionsFaculty of Arts and HumanitiesSchool of Oriental and African StudiesUniversity of LondonThornhaugh StreetRussell SquareLondon WC1H OXGUnited Kingdom

Tel.: 0044-(0)20-7898 4776

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: http://www.soas.ac.uk/jainastudies

The Annual Jain LectureThursday, 6 March (6pm)in the Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre, SOAS

Professor Maruti Nandan P. Tiwari (Banaras Hindu University) New Approach to the Study of Jaina Art and ArchitectureApproach to the Study of Jaina Art and Architecture

Jaina Art & Architecture10th Jaina Studies Workshop



A one-day prestigious event on 28th January 2008, Brunei Gallery, SOAS

This event will feature what present day India has to offer the UK creative industries, highlighting why 2008 is the right time for creative businesses to look at this lucrative emerging economy.

The conference is sponsored by Creative Connexions (a new initiative helping UK creative industries explore business opportunities in India).

An excellent array of speakers has been carefully selected to provide the most important insights and experience in a hugely competitive field.

• Hear inspirational case studies and success stories from leading companies

• Find the best way to take your company to the next level of international expansion

• Network with peers

• Put your questions to the panel

• Take advice specifically to your needs

• Share in their knowledge.

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CONFERENCE SPEAKERSThe Why India? Why Now? conference proudly boasts an exceptional line-up of world renowned business and creative industries names.

Rodney Fitch CBE, Fitch – Conference Chair Founder of internationally acclaimed design agency, Fitch, a former member of the Design Council, and a past president of the Designers and Art Directors Association and the Chartered Society of Designers.

Laura Hoke, Creative Connexions. Delivering the conference welcome address.

Alpesh Patel, UK Trade and Industry Dealmakers between India and UK. One of the UK’s most well known financial commentators and authors with nine best selling books on trading.

Graham Cartledge, Benoy. A fellow of the Chartered Society of Designers for more than 35 years, with a distinguished career in architecture and design.

Sharon Bamford, CEO of UK-India Business Council. Lead organisation supporting UK India commerce.

Parminder Vir OBE, Film Producer. Conference Content Organiser. A member of BAFTA, appointed to the UK Film Council in 1999.

Mehmood Khan, Indian Institute of Management. Working at Unilever since 1982 across divisions such as Marketing, Exports, Procurement, Business Development and Innovation.

Janice Hughes, Spectrum Value Partners. A respected and experienced economist in the field of fixed and mobile telecommunications.

Parvinder Bhatia, VTR plc / Prime Focus Group. Associated with industry bodies in India including FICCI and CII.

Peter Day, BBC Radio 4. Afternoon Panel Chair. One of the most renowned business reporters in the United Kingdom, at the forefront of the business news for more than 30 years.For further details please visit www.whyindiawhynow.com

DATE AND LOCATIONMonday 28th January 2008 (9am-6pm, plus drinks reception), Brunei Gallery, SOAS, Russell Square

WHO IS IT FOR?Media creatives, creative SMEs, academics, finance sector with an interest in media investment, others with an interest in India and the creative industries.

HOW TO BOOK

Tickets are selling out fast, please book early to avoid disappointment. To book a place and for full programme details visit: www.whyindiawhynow.com

For more information contact Katie Mills, SOAS Interface, [email protected]



by Lawrence Saez and Eleanor Catherine James, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS)

The issue of honour killings is one of most hotly contested controversies in the study of gender politics in South Asia. Sadly, repeated instances of such murders have also made the subject of ‘honour killings’ a prominent policy subject for debate in Britain. In order to explore the cultural, legal, and epistemological facets to ‘honour killings’, a world renowned panel of respected academic figures and practitioners met in London on 6 November 2007 at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, London.

The event, co-sponsored by the Politics of South Asia Specialist Group of the PSA, the South Asian Network on Research on Gender, Law, and Governance (SARN), and the University of Warwick, took the form of a one-day international conference under the stewardship of Professor Shirin Rai, one of the world’s leading authorities on gender, governance, and development.

The conference panelists framed the question on honour killings within the context governing communities, polities, and sexualities in India, Pakistan and Britain. Speakers Kaveri Sharma and Amrit Wilson made presentations on the legal definitions of honour killings. Group discussion afterwards was mediated by Chair Judge Marilyn Mornington. The audience pointed out that many terms specific to South Asian cultures are not defined in British Law, such as “honour.” This makes it difficult to“honour.” This makes it difficult to.” This makes it difficult to work with judges, social workers and housing officials in cases where such cultural issues are involved. Their

lack of understanding and/or training on these cultures means terms such as dowry abuse are problematic when it comes to carrying out their duties. Other conference attendees pointed out the complexities of defining honour killings. For instance, Professor Shaheen Sardar Ali pointed out that many instances of violence were based on financial or political feuds within families. The ability of these families to justify crimes through terms specific to South Asian culture was enabling miscarriages of justice. Professor Ali suggested for the need to deglamourize honour honour killings. In her view, the reporting of these events tend to articulate the perspective of the perpetrator rather than the victim and can obscure the real motive of the crime. For her part, Judge Mornington took the view that differentiation and definition of complexities regarding cases involving South Asian women would allow for better coping mechanisms by the legal machinery of the state. During the conference, further

speakers addressed the issue of the relationship of honour killings to the topic of race and violence. Participants agreed that many white British women were also facing violence within the home and that this was largely overlooked by the popular media. In this sense, participants talked about the idea that honour was not only a South Asian notion and that this concept existed in many communities, including white British ones. There was agreement that culture specific terms must be used to explain the contexts from which South Asian women victims of violence come from, rather then serve as generic labels that easily become tools of discrimination. Nevertheless, many participants pointed out that potential victims of honour killings remain unprotected by police and social services because initial interest is often in the immigration status of the woman, rather then the nature or severity of her complaint against her male partner.

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Leading South Asia academics discuss honour killings


Participants to the conference then shifted the focus of the debate by discussing the role of religious leaders (or walis) with relation to honour killing crimes in South Asia. Speakers Nafisa Shah, Uma Chakravarty and Pratiksha Baxi made presentations on the topic of wali. For instance, speaker Nafisa Shah spoke of the possibility of walis being female members of the victim’s family. She elaborated that the perpetrators and victims family are usually from the same immediate family. This means that the perpetrator and wali can actually be mirror images of the each other. Her argument was that the structure of violence thus fits into the rhythm of the law. Professor rhythm of the law. Professor of the law. Professor Uma Chakravarty took a feminist/civil rights activist stance, claiming that the conceptual framework of violence need to be understood. In her view, the relationship between sexual governance and domestic and cultural could be termed ‘a deeply political issue’. Like other speakers, Professor Chakravarty emphasized that honour crimes need honour crimes need crimes need to be understood as part of broader hierarchies of oppression.

Once again, the cultural dimensions of honour killings were addressed. For instance, Professor Shaheen Ali here pointed out that there are multiple layers of cultural discourse surrounding honour crimes. Her view was that they are not just about killing per se, but involve other types of punishment. Nevertheless, participants pointed out that the incidence of honour killings is alarming. One participant suggested that over 90% of criminal cases lodged in the Sindh province (Pakistan) are honour crimes. At the same time, there is a great deal of suppression of evidence from family members. The consensus was that legislation in South Asia strongly reflects cultural norms and values, thus there was some caution about the potential for reversing further developments in honour killings.

The event culminated with

presentations by Professor Shaheen Sardar Ali and Reena Patel relating to their work regarding the South Asian Research Network on Gender, Law, and Governance (SARN) in Pakistan and India respectively. It was noted that the spread and prevalence of HIV/Aids in South Asia had contributed to the incidents of violence against women, including honour killings, which were a feature of South Asian communities in South Asia and in the diaspora. Professor Rai linked the discussion about honour killings to a broader debate about women’s political representation. She argued that in order to hold on to their legislative seats in India, female politicians often strove to de-genderise their-genderise their their positions and their political agendas. The result of this strategy was that many women MPs did not express a desire to participate in development or social sector portfolios, opting instead for ministries that had no direct connection to gender issues. Professor Rai addressed the issue of engagement. She argued that if equality is the goal, attitudes need to be challenged so equal representation is needed at every level of government. Nevertheless she emphasized that having quotas is not the issue; it is the sustainability of negotiated participation that is critical.

The final keynote speaker at the conference was Dr. Maleeha Lodhi, Pakistan’s High Commissioner to the UK. During her presentation she addressed the importance that women politicians had had in South Asia. She offered examples from her past experience as a female journalist and diplomat working in and for Pakistan. Dr Lodhi agreed with Professor Rai that representation quotas were insufficient for sustainable participation. In her view, such quotas could lead women becoming ‘surrogates’ to fill positions, often being given seats on less important committees. She agreed with the proposition that the thrust of party competition can lead women politicians to degenderise their position, but she stressed that this is a process of evolution. However, she concluded that representation is not the main issue. It is women’s political consciousness and agency that will create the preconditions of equality and emancipation that are needed to reduce gender discrimination in access to social welfare and economic opportunity as well as to stop gender based violence.

Dr Lawrence Saez is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Politics. Eleanor Catherine James is a student at SOAS and President of the SOAS Women’s Society.


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SOUTH ASIA RESEARCH (SAR)

South Asia Research 27.3 [November 2007]:

Articles

SHABNUM TEJANIReconsidering Chronologies of Nationalism and Communalism: The Khilafat Movement in Sind and its Aftermath, 1919-1927

SHANDIP SAHAThe Darbār, the British, and the Runaway Mahārāja: Religion and Politics in Nineteenth Century Western India

YUMNA SIDDIQI‘Power Smashes into Private Lives’: Violence, Globalization and Cosmopolitanism in Salman Rushdie’s Shalimar the Clown

TRINANJAN CHAKRABORTY and ABHIJIT KUNDUThe Coming of the Secular in Indian Polity: A Sociological Reading

ASHOK K. PANKAJEngaging with Discourse on Caste, Class and Politics in India

South Asia Research 28.1[February 2008]:

Articles

NEERA CHANDHOKEExploring the Right to Secession: The South Asian Context

RAZIUDDIN AQUILHazrat-i-Dehli: The Making of the Chishti Sufi Centre and the Stronghold of Islam

MOSTAFA HAIDERRecognising Complexity, Embracing Diversity: Working Children in Bangladesh

SHOBNA NIJHAWAN‘The Touchstone of a Nation’s Greatness is the Status of its Women’ – Responses to Colonial Discourses on Indian Womanhood

AYAKO KAGEYAMAExtent of Poverty Alleviation by Migrant Remittances in Sri Lanka.

Reviews

AYLA KARMALICarsten Wieland, Nation State by Accident: The Politicization of Ethnic Groups and the Ethnicization of Politics: Bosnia, India, Pakistan

JEREMY A BROWNAtul K Shah, Celebrating Diversity

CAROLYN JORDANPhilipe Gervaid-Lambony, Frédéric Landy and Sophie Oldfield (eds.), Reconfiguring Identities and Building Territories in India and South Africa

LALITA DU PERRONLakshmi Subramaniam, From the Tanjore Court to the Madras Music Academy: A Social History of Music in South India

MARTIN MENSKIKaushik Sunder Rajan. Biocapital. The Constitution of Postgenomic Life.

South Asia Research is an interdisciplinary area journal for the South Asia region, now published by Sage Publications in London and edited by Werner MENSKI. The topics covered include modern and pre-modern history, politics, economics, anthropology, literary and visual culture, language and literature. Its primary aim is to give rapid access to current research work and to provide opportunities for publication to research students as well as to established scholars. In addition to reports of research in progress and book reviews, review articles are also welcome. South Asia Research also publishes ‘thought pieces’ and interpretative essays that address issues and problems arising from new research.

SAR now appears three times a year and is available electronically through SAGE, which has led to a much larger readership for the journal, as access figures demonstrate.

SAR is available on line at http://sar.sagepub.com/

Review articleROSHAN DE SILVA WIJEYERATNEColonialism, Caste and Custom in Indian History: Revisiting Governmentality Nicholas B. Dirks, Castes of Mind: Colonialism and the Making of Modern India (Princeton and London: Princeton University Press, 2001).

Book ReviewsFABRIZIO M. FERRARIImtiaz Ahmad (ed.), Understanding Terrorism. Beyond Statist Discourses.

SUMAIYA KHAIRAmarjit Kaur and Ian Metcalfe (eds.), Mobility, Labour Migration and Border Controls in Asia.

FABRIZIO M. FERRARIVasudha Dhagamwar, Role and Image of Law in India: The Tribal Experience.

FRANCESCA ORSINIMalashri Lal and Sukrita Paul Kumar (eds.), Interpreting homes in South Asian literature.

18 South Asia Newsletter: No 68 January 2008 19

SAGE SOUTH ASIAN STUDIES

Customer Order Line +44 (0)20 7324 8703

www.sagepub.co.ukSAGE Publications, 1 Oliver’s Yard, 55 City Road, London, EC1Y 1SP

Divided We Stand India in a Time of Coalitions Paranjoy Guha Thakurta and Shankar Raghuraman, Senior Editor, The Times of IndiaWritten by two eminent journalists, this topical and absorbing book explains why India has entered a new era of coalition politics. It analyses the consequences and implications of this relatively recent phenomenon. December 2007 * 528 pages Hardback (978-0-7619-3663-3) * £37.50

Militarizing Sri Lanka Popular Culture, Memory & Narrative in the Armed Conflict

Neloufer De Me Written against the background of the armed conflict between the Sri Lankan state and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), this book focuses on the process of militarization of the country between the late 1980s and 2005. December 2007 * 336 pages Paperback (978-0-7619-3635-0) * £29.99

Electoral Processes and Governance in South Asia Edited by Dushyantha Mendis This explores electoral processes as they operate in South Asia. It also looks at some of the flaws that are found in these systems. December 2007 * 476 pages Hardback (978-0-7619-3577-3) * £37.50

Political Violence and the Police in IndiaK S Subramanian K. S. Subramanian identifies patterns and trends in political violence in India; examines how the government’s political machinery has responded; and recommends changes in structures and attitudes. October 2007 * 264 pages Paperback (978-0-7619-3593-3) * £27.00

Democracy in Muslim Societies The Asian Experience Edited by Zoya Hasan This book asks whether democracy is appropriate and desirable as a political system for non-Western societies, and assesses the extent of actual democratization in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan and Turkey. October 2007 * 272 pages Hardback (978-0-7619-3566-7) * £35.00

Contentious Politics and Democratization in Nepal Mahendra Lawoti After the restoration of democracy in 1990, Nepal witnessed collective political struggles. This book examines the causes, consequences and effectiveness of these events and their relationship to democratization. September 2007 * 360 pages Hardback (978-0-7619-3601-5) * £37.50

An American Witness to India's Partition Phillip Talbot Phillip Talbot was a 23 year-old American sent to India by New York-based Institute of Current World Affairs to provide a perceptive view of South Asian society in its decisive decade. This book graphically recounts the buildup to Indian and Pakistani independence.September 2007 * 448 pages Hardback (978-0-7619-3618-3) * £39.99

The New Asian Power Dynamic Edited by Maharajakrishna Rasgotra This examines the unfolding relationships among the five great powers in Asia: the United States, China, India, Japan and Russia. It explores recent bilateral relations between these states, and draws attention to the emergence of a new power dynamic in the region in the post-Cold War era. May 2007 * 308 pages Hardback (978-0-7619-3572-8) * £35.00

South Asia in the WTO Saman Kelegama This book examines the position of each South Asian country in the multilateral trading system as defined by the WTO and highlights various concerns they have on WTO issues.December 2007 * 296 pages Hardback (978-0-7619-3614-5) * £35.00

Growth, Equity, Environment and Population Economic and Sociological Perspectives Kanchan Chopra and C H Hanumantha Rao Papers are brought together in this book on issues relating to growth and macro-economic fundamentals and the state of and future prospects for industry and agriculture in an era of high growth and globalization. December 2007 * 480 pages Hardback (978-0-7619-3677-0) * £25.99

The Indian Family in Transition Reading Literary and Cultural Texts Edited by Sanjukta Dasgupta and Malashri Lal This book explores how the Indian family, whether in India or in Diaspora, needs to be redefined in today's context due to the changes it has undergone in this age of rapid industrialization and globalization. November 2007 * 384 pages Hardback (978-0-7619-3568-1) * £39.99

Dalits in Modern India Vision and Values M Micheal, University of Mumbai This book explores the social, economic and cultural content of Dalit transformation in modern India. May 2007 * 372 pages Paperback (978-0-7619-3571-1) * £27.00


Making Britain: South Asian Visions of Home and Abroad 1870-1950

Making Britain is a 3 year AHRC-funded project that examines South Asian contributions to Britain’s literary, cultural and political life in the period 1870–1950. Complicating the common perception that a homogeneous British culture only began to diversify after the Second World War, the project explores how an early diasporic population impacted on British life and helped to form contemporary Britain’s cultural-political identities. An interdisciplinary approach will illuminate the diverse ways in which South Asian writers, artists, activists and professionals in Britain formed affiliations, groupings and solidarities to create a dynamic ‘contact zone’ at the heart of empire.

______________________________________________________________________________

Workshop 1: ‘South Asian contact zones in the metropolis’ Wednesday 23 April 20089.30am to 4.30pmWolfson Room, Institute of Historical Research, Senate House, London

This one-day workshop will be considering South Asians and their varied interactions with the metropolis in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Keynote speakers are Antoinette Burton (Professor of Global and Transnational Studies, University of Illinois) addressing themes of diaspora and trans-nationalism, and Partha Mitter (Emeritus Professor of Art History, University of Sussex) addressing the interface between migrant artists and modernism. There will also be a panel on ‘Indians on the Celtic Fringe’. The day will be rounded off by a plenary panel of the core research team on the Making Britain project discussing the project and the day’s papers.

Making Britain is led by Professor Susheila Nasta (Open University), in collaboration with Professor Elleke Boehmer (University of Oxford) and Dr Ruvani Ranasinha (King’s College London), and Research Assistants Dr Sumita Mukherjee (Oxford) and Dr Rehana Ahmed (Open). We are working in partnership with the British Library and SALIDAA, and in consultation with leading scholars Dr Rozina Visram, Professor Partha Mitter, Professor Lyn Innes and Dr Deborah Swallow.

For any queries please email [email protected] registration details, please visit www.open.ac.uk/arts/south-asians-making-britain*As places are limited, please register your interest in attending this workshop as soon as possible; registration deadline is Wednesday � April 2008.

For directions to Senate House, see: http://www.lon.ac.uk/map

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‘South Asian Contact Zones in the Metropolis’Workshop


University of Cambridge


STIMWThe Sanskrit Tradition in the Modern World

25th Annual STIMW Symposiumat the

20th European Conference on Modern South Asian Studies

(ECMSAS)

Fri 11 July 2008

University of Manchester

CALL FOR PAPERS

Offers of papers by 14 Jan 2008 please toDr Jacqueline Suthren Hirst

Religions and Theology, Samuel Alexander Building, University of Manchester,

Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL

[email protected]

In 2006 STIMW moved successfully to Manchester to continue to offer a forum for the discussion of papers on varied aspects of Indian religions. This year, STIMW celebrates 25 years by combining with the 20th European Conference on Modern South Asian Studies being held in the University of Manchester from 7-11 July 2008

Paper proposals for STIMW 2008 are particularly welcomed from international scholars who would not normally be able to attend the one day event in the UK, but who will be attending the ECMSAS conference.

For details of ECMSAS 2008, see http://www.arts.manchester.ac.uk/ecmsas/.

For further details on STIMW, see http://www.arts.manchester.ac.uk/subjectareas/religionstheology/newsevents/stimw/

To join the STIMW mailing list, please email [email protected]

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NEW AND FORTHCOMING TITLES

Routledge Contemporary South Asia Series Federalism, Nationalism and Development India and the Punjab economy Pritam Singh, Oxford Brookes University, UK

This book examines India's development through an exploration of the triangular relationship between federalism, nationalism and the development process. It focuses on one of the seemingly paradoxical cases of impressive development and sharp federal conflicts that have been witnessed in the state of Punjab.

February 2008: 234x156: 240pp Hb: 978-0-415-45666-1: £85.00

Regionalism in South Asia Negotiating cooperation, institutional structures Kishore C. Dash,Thunderbird School of Global Management, USA

The dramatic surge in regional integration schemes over the past two decades has been one of the most important developments in world politics. This book examines regionalism in South Asia, exploring the linkages between institutional structures, government capabilities, and domestic actors’ preferences to explain the dynamics of regional cooperation.

February 2008: 234x156: 272pp Hb: 978-0-415-43117-0: £85.00

Labor, Democratization and Development in India and Pakistan Christopher Candland, Wellesley College, USA

In this first comparative study of organized labour in India and Pakistan, the author analyzes the impact and role of organized labour in the political and economic development of these two countries.

December 2007: 234x156: 224pp Hb: 978-0-415-42820-0: £75.00

Indian Literature and Popular Cinema Recasting Classics Edited by Heidi R.M. Pauwels, University of Washington, Seattle, USA

This book considers the popular cinema of North India (Bollywood) and how it recasts literary classics. It addresses the socio-political implications of popular reinterpretations of elite culture, exploring gender issues and the perceived sexism of popular films and how that plays out when literature is reworked into film.

December 2007: 234x156: 256pp Hb: 978-0-415-44741-6: £80.00

Islamist Militancy in Bangladesh A Complex Web Ali Riaz, Illinois State University, USA

This book examines the growing Islamist militancy in Bangladesh. It examines the relevance, significance and trajectories of militant Islamist groups in Bangladesh by presenting the complex web of domestic, regional and international events and dynamics that engendered and strengthened Islamist militancy in Bangladesh.

December 2007: 234x156: 192pp Hb: 978-0-415-45172-7: £80.00

Labor, Globalization and the State Workers, women and migrants confront neoliberalism Edited by Debdas Banerjee, Institute of Development Studies, Kolkata, India and Michael Goldfield, Wayne State University, USA

This book explores the impact of neoliberal globalization on labour markets and the state in the developed and developing world. It focuses especially on the United States and the economies of Asia – in particular, India.

December 2007: 234x156: 288pp Hb: 978-0-415-44923-6: £90.00

To order any of these titles Call: +44 (0) 1264 34 3071Fax: +44 (0) 1264 34 3005Email: [email protected]

www.routledge.com/asianstudies

(Please quote SAS Newsletter Jan 2008)

Indian Politics and Society since Independence Events, Processes and Ideology Bidyut Chakrabarty, Delhi University, India

This book examines politics and society in India. It explores new areas enmeshed in the complex social, economic and political processes of the country. Linking structural characteristics with the broader sociological context, the book emphasises the stronginfluence of sociological issues on politics.

Selected Contents: Introduction 1. Setting the scene 2. Shaping Indian politics: the language of Identity 3. Indian Democracy: liberalism in its reinvented form 4. Parliamentary Federalism in India: redefining the Westminster model 5. The Chaotic 1960s: adecade of experiments and turmoil 6. The Left Front and the 2006 Assembly Elections in West Bengal: Marxism reinvented 7. Coalition Politics in India: cultural synergy or political expediency Conclusion

July 2008: 234x156: 272pp / Hb: 978-0-415-40867-7: £85.00 / Pb: 978-0-415-40868-4: £24.99

‘Promising and important’ - P. Radhakrishnan, Madras Institute of Development Studies, India


BASAS Annual Conference 2008

University of Leicester26-28 March 2008

The British Association of South Asian Studies (BASAS) is hosting its annual conference at the University of Leicester. You are welcome to join us. BASAS annual conferences are noted for their friendliness, informality, and open interdisciplinary intellectual exchange. The Association hosts the Nirman Foundation lecture each year at the time of the BASAS annual conference. This year’s speaker will be Vishvajit Pandya. Each year, BASAS also awards a prize for the most outstanding paper given by a student at its annual conference.

Further details about the conference can be obtained from the conference organisers:

Dr Prashant Kidambi (University of Leicester). Email: [email protected]

Dr Clare Anderson (University of Warwick). Email: [email protected]

Further details about BASAS can be obtained via its websitehttp://www.britac.ac.uk/institutes/SSAS/about.htm

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24 South Asia Newsletter: No 68 January 2008 2�

If you would like to subscribe to the South Asia Newsletter and receive a paper copy three times a year (beginning of Term 1, 2 and �) send in a cheque for £�, made payable to SOAS, to: Centre of South Asian Studies, SOAS, University of London, Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG.

Please send your cheque with the following information:

Title:

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Organisation:

Address:

Postcode:

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Addresses ChangesIf you are already subscribed to the postal mailing list please send any changes to contact details to the address given, or email [email protected]

Electronic Copy Of The Newsletter (Free Of Charge)

If you would like to receive an electronic copy of the newsletter free of charge please email [email protected]

asking to join the South Asia Newsletter email distribution list together with your

email address; andyour first name and surname

ContributionsIf you would like to submit a piece for consideration for the next edition of the Newsletter please send the details in electronic format to [email protected]

The Centre Chair will have the final say on which materials appear in the News-letter. Items we would like to particularly receive are:

• reports on academic workshops/conferences; • details of forthcoming academic events

We would like to thank all the readers who have already sent in articles.

Subscribe to the South Asia Newsletter

24 South Asia Newsletter: No 68 January 2008 2�


CSAS Email ListIf you would like to be added to the CSAS mailing list and receive information on the Centres seminars and events please send an email to Jane Savory with the following details:

• CSAS mailing list;• your email address; and• your first name and surname.

Since its inception in 1916, the School of Oriental and African Studies has been an important international centre for the study of South Asia. In 1966, the Centre of South Asia Studies was established to co-ordinate the research of the South Asian specialists spread widely throughout SOAS.

At present SOAS employs over thirty full-time South Asian specialists in the teaching staff. In addition to a department of South Asian Languages and Cultures, SOAS has South Asia specialists in the departments of Anthropology, Art and Archaeology, Development Studies, Economics, History, Law, Music, Religions and Politics. Several South Asian specialists are also based near SOAS in other institutions of the University of London.

One floor of the SOAS Library is dedicated to the South Asia collection, overseen by the South Asia librarian and two assistants. The Library continues to develop its web pages relating to South Asian Studies.

More than 100 courses on South Asia are taught at SOAS, and many others contain a significant South Asian component. Students may elect for a single-subject South Asia degree, or combine South Asia with a discipline in a two-subject degree. Presently SOAS offers degrees or joint degrees in the following South Asian languages: Bengali, Gujarati, Nepali, Hindi, Pali, Sanskrit, Sinhala, Tamil and Urdu; some of these languages are also available for MA degrees. All languages, and many other South Asian courses, are also available as one unit within the MA South Asian Area Studies or within the MA South Asian Cultural Studies.

Contact DetailsCentre of South Asian Studiesc/o Centres & Programmes OfficeSchool of Oriental and African StudiesUniverstiy of LondonThornhaugh StreetRussell SquareLondon WC1H 0XG

Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7898 4892Fax: +44 (0) 20 7898 4489

Email: [email protected]: www.soas.ac.uk/csas/

Chair: Office Manager: Jane Savory

CSAS Keywords Webpage:

The Keywords Project initated by Dr Rachel Dwyer can be found on:

http://www.soas.ac.uk/centres/centreinfo.cfm?navid=912

The essays on South Asian Keywords have been written by a number of internationally known scholars.

Front cover: Publicity from the film ‘Mother India’, courtesy Mehboob Productions Private Ltd., Mumbai; Eros International.

Centre of

South AsianStudies

Produced by the Centres & Programmes Office, SOAS, 2006Printed by the Print Room, SOAS


University of London Thornhaugh Street Russell Square London WC1H 0XG

Phone +44 (0) 20 7637 2388Web www.soas.ac.uk

Centre of South Asia Studies


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School of Oriental and African StudiesUniversity of LondonThornhaugh StreetRussell SquareLondon WC1H 0XG

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7637 2388Fax: +44 (0) 20 7436 3844

www.soas.ac.uk

Produced by the Centres & Programmes Office, SOASPrinted by the Print Room, SOAS

sa outh o sianewsletter · department of the languages and cultures of south asia [email protected] dr...

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